GOP Funk: Top Dems Have Twice As Many Donors  

From Congress to the presidential campaign, Republican fundraising is lagging while Democratic donations are surging.

Yet beneath the record-breaking million-dollar totals lies another statistic that could be more ominous in 2008 for Republicans: a yawning gap between the presidential primary fields’ donor bases. According to campaign figures, the Democrats’ top three candidates received donations from about 204,000 individuals. The first-tier Republican trio drew checks from 110,000, roughly half as many. That donor disparity helped give the Democrats a big first-quarter financial advantage.